Main St. revamp still on target

Wednesday

Sep 4, 2013 at 10:42 AMSep 4, 2013 at 10:42 AM

By Scott Pukosspukos@messengerpostmedia.com

CANANDAIGUA — While visible work — including sidewalk replacement and a constant presence of construction vehicles — on Canandaigua’s Main Street revamp has drawn attention, it’s the underground work that has strained budget and deadline goals, said Assistant City Manager Bryan White.

The renovation — which includes new sidewalks, rain gardens, trees, flowers, a sewer line replacement and the addition of electrical conduit — was budgeted at $1.63 million with a contingency budget of $130,000. The contingency funds began to dwindle in July, largely due to complications with the underground work, White said. That $130,000 will be used by the end of the project, he said.

Even without the contingency, the $1.63 million was a figure higher than expected. In June 2012, city staff estimated the project to cost just under $800,000.

The project includes 3.5 blocks of downtown Canandaigua, from the railroad tracks near City Hall to Antis and Saltonstall streets.

As for the completion deadline, White said he believes the Sept. 30 goal will be met. He added that he meets with the contractors regularly and if extra resources are needed, they will be brought in to help complete the project before October.

Adding the trees will be the last step, expected to happen at the end of September, along with bushes. Flowers will be added in the spring.

Before construction, White and representatives from DiFiore Construction — the Rochester-based company doing the work — indicated that there would most likely be unknown obstacles once digging into the ground started.

Among those underground items were an abundance of areaway basement doors on buildings, White said. These were used in the past to bring dried goods, like coal, from the sidewalk to the basement. These basement doorways were filled in during the construction period, White said.

Additionally, several abandoned utility lines were discovered under the ground. White explained that around 100 years ago, when a water main or other utilities needed replacing, it wouldn't be removed; the new one would just be placed near it. This continued to happen over the years, and when DiFiore crews dug up areas they found a number of abandoned pipes and utilities, along with the live utilities.

“At the time it seemed like logical thinking,” White said. “But what happened is you now have three or four sets of utilities.”

White added that these types of surprises are common for similar construction projects.

At this stage in the project, most of the underground work is nearly complete, White said. Additional work that remains includes placing brick and small iron fencing around the tree and landscaping areas.

Despite construction, optimism for the final product has remained high. Kyle Werder, co-owner of the Salty Dog Shop Inc. on South Main Street, said he’s excited to see the final product. He added that foot traffic has been down this summer, but he anticipates that will change once the bandages are removed and the final look of Main Street is revealed.

“If it’s all done and nice, it will bring people out to walk around,” Werder said.